


I'm Not A Hero

by pseudocricket



Series: Maxima Spirit [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, maxima spirit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-23
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2017-11-16 03:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseudocricket/pseuds/pseudocricket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a new halfa in town, and new enemies seem to be following her every step. What happens when she runs into the infamous ghost fighting trio, and will she be their next target?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Swear It Wasn't Lightning

Ch.1

 

Pain.

All I felt was pain. It was so excruciating, it was as if every fiber of my being was on fire. I couldn't think of anything except for the agony that I was being forced to suffer. How long I was objected to it is a mystery to me. Seconds, minutes, hours...there was no way to tell. To me, it felt like an eternity before everything went dark.

* * *

 

When I woke up, the first thing I became aware of was the terrible ache in every muscle. I groaned before trying to sit up. “Easy there, Max,” a familiar voice said. Strong hands gently pushed my shoulders back down. Turning my head slightly, I was able to make out the tired face of my father as he watched me with concern. “Dad?” I asked, my voice croaking. “You're in the hospital, Max. You're safe,” he assured, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. At least that didn't hurt me. With a grimace, I got a glance at the heart monitor I was hooked up to, along with some other machines. Raising the hand he held up as much as I could without being in too much pain, I examined the IV stuck in my hand. My first thought was to pull it out, but before I could muster up the strength my dad pulled it back down and patted my arm. “It's to help you, Max. Please, try and relax. I know you don't like it but you have to deal with it anyways,” he reminded me gently. As much as I hated the fact that he was right, it would be useless to deny it. Still, it didn't make me any less uncomfortable with the thing under my skin.

After a few moments, a nurse came into the room. She smiled at me, pleased that I was awake. She checked my vital signs before leaving, assuring us that the doctor would be back in a minute. My father and I remained quiet, though I could tell that he was simply dying to ask me questions. He held back for my sake, not wanting to overwhelm me, and for that I was grateful.

The door opened and the doctor entered. He was an older fellow, his gray hair and various wrinkles making that much obvious. “Hello, I'm Doctor Hartmond. It's good to see you awake, Maximum,” he said to me, giving me a warm smile. “Max is fine,” I managed, doing my best to return the smile though chances were it would look more like a grimace. Dr. Hartmond nodded before coming to the side of my bed and giving the heart monitor and such a look. “You've had quite a shock, haven't you?” he mused, turning slightly to look down at me with warm brown eyes. “I have to say, you're an extraordinarily tough girl for fifteen years old.” He took one last look at the clipboard before tucking it under one arm.

“Do you remember what happened?” he asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but then stopped. _Do I?_ All that I could be sure of was that whatever had happened had hurt a ton. Frowning, I shook my head slightly. “I remember...a flash of some sort? Some kind of weird light, and then pain. Lots of it,” I recounted. The aching seemed to intensify slightly at the subject. A quick glance at my dad showed that he was frowning, too. His frown was out of concern and worry, though. I honestly felt bad that he had to see me like this. He worried enough about me as it was.

Dr. Hartmond nodded along with my description, pursing his lips slightly as he figured out what must have happened. “Sounds like you had a bad encounter with some lightning,” he said. Lightning? Really? Funny, it hadn't been raining or anything, and I hadn't noticed clouds in the sky. Then again, it had been night, and we did get a lot of heat lightning. “Will I be alright?” I asked him. He was quick to nod as he clasped his hands together. “Yes, you should be fine. All of your vital signs are normal and there doesn't seem to be any damage to your internal organs,” he said with a smile. I let out a sigh of relief at the same time as my dad. “When do you think it'll be okay for me to take her home?” my dad asked. Ah, good question, Dad. “I'll get the paperwork to have her discharged. She's going to need some painkillers as well,” the doctor said, looking rather cheerful. Painkillers sounded awful nice to me right then. Dr. Hartmond left for the paperwork and then I closed my eyes for a bit. I must've dozed off because the next thing I knew, Dad was gently shaking my shoulder to wake me up. He had the paperwork in his hands as well as my old clothes. I was also relieved to find that there was nothing connected to me anymore. Getting out of bed was a lot more difficult than I'd ever admit, but I eventually managed to get to the bathroom and get changed out of the hospital gown. The nurse from before had a wheelchair for me, and she rolled me to the front desk so that Dad could turn in the paperwork. From that point on, he took over. Sitting there like a lump made me feel silly, but I figured that if I had tried walking to whole way I probably would've collapsed. As it were, the walk to the car alone made me feel exhausted.

The ride home felt long, especially since my dad found that it was a good place to begin his lecture. In a way, he was right. It wasn't like I could run away or anything. The whole thing was pretty predictable. How could I? Didn't I know how dangerous walking around at night was? I was just lucky that it wasn't some rapist instead! I should know better than to walk around while lightning was so close! Honestly, it really only put me down. I hated making Dad worry so much. Also, I could have sworn that was no lightning around when I went out! But, I kept my mouth closed. Dad was only worried, and had probably been scared as well. If our places had been switched, I'd be acting pretty similar to the way he was now.

By the time we got home, he seemed to have lectured himself out. Thank gods for that. We had taken a detour to pick up the prescription for the painkillers, and so I took some before sitting gingerly down onto the old couch in our living room. I relaxed back for a moment, waiting for the pills to kick in before I noticed something. Dad had brought out some old moving boxes and had apparently been putting things in them earlier. “Hey Dad, what's with the boxes?” I called out to him, glad my voice was working better than before. He walked out of our small kitchen and looked at the boxes before turning to me with a suddenly cheery expression. “I forgot to tell you! While you were out last night, I got a call from a friend of mine and got offered a really good job!” he explained. “Whoa, awesome!” I said, genuinely excited. My dad had been looking for a suitable job for ages now. He hated the boring office he worked for and always talked about getting to do something he loved. “So where is it? Somewhere on the Strip?” I asked curiously, wondering if he was going to find us a new apartment closer to this new job.

Dad ran a hand through his thin salt-and-pepper hair, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “Dad?” I asked, feeling uneasy with his silence. “It's not on the Strip,” he said at last.

“It's in Amity Park.”


	2. New Place, New Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the small family arrives in Amity Park, Max experiences a disturbing dream.

Ch. 2

 

“Amity Park?” I asked with surprise. I had never heard of the place before. “So...it's not in town, is it?” My dad shook his head and I got a sinking feeling in my gut. We had moved plenty of times before, always going after the apartments and odd house or two that fit my dad's ever fluctuating budget as he moved from job to job. He would always keep me in mind though, and as we usually stayed within the same city limits at the very least, I was usually able to stay at whatever school I had been attending. But now...

Dad sighed and sat next to me on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. “I know you don't want to be uprooted and all, Max, and I understand how hard it's gonna be for you to leave your school and your friends. It's just...this job could be the one I stick with for a long time. I have a feeling that this is the one that'll keep both of us happy and safe with food in the kitchen and good clothes on our backs,” he explained, a sort of hopeful light in his eyes as he turned to look at me straight on. I glanced away, slightly ashamed at the selfish feelings I had. It had been so long since Dad had had a job that he'd actually been happy at, one that had a good salary and benefits. Surely I could let go of a few ties if it meant we'd actually have a permanent home for once, right?

“Alright, Dad. I'll, uh...I'll start packing right away,” I said, giving him the best smile I could muster. His returned smile was warm and grateful. With a quick, one-armed hug and a kiss on my cheek, he got up and returned to the kitchen. From the sounds of it, he was probably packing up the pots and pans. With a small sigh, I managed to get off the couch, grab an empty box, and head into my small room. I really, really didn't want to move. Las Vegas was my home. The only other places I had ever lived were some small towns in northern Nevada and western California, but those times had been while I was really young, almost too young to even remember them. I just hoped that this Amity Park was worth it.

* * *

 

It took a week before everything was ready to go. Dad had rented a small moving truck to drive to our new home, and luckily for us we could tow our car behind it. The week was a long one, though it wasn't all bad. My friends had thrown me a farewell party with many promises to keep in touch, some of them more like threats. I was really going to miss them.

We set out early morning on Saturday, before the September sun was even up. As we hit the highway, my dad glanced over at my tired self and gave me a reassuring smile. With one hand he tucked a long, wavy auburn strand of my hair behind my ear. “Everything will be alright, kiddo. You'll make plenty of new friends, I'm sure of it,” he said in an attempt to cheer me up. I gave him my own tired smile in response, but didn't say anything. He directed his full attention to the road, and I looked back out the window, watching the familiar landscape race past me. It was with a pang that I finally said good bye to my home.

The drive itself, while long, was pretty uneventful. There was a moment when I thought I saw some freaky person on the side of the road, but we went by too fast for me to really get a good look at them. Our journey took nearly two days, and it was pretty taxing on both of us, though mostly my dad. We were both pretty relieved when we finally saw the sign that said “Amity Park” on it.

Driving through, I got my first real look at the town. It seemed pretty normal to me, if not a lot smaller than what I was used to. Our apartment building looked nice, though. That was good. Moving everything in was a bit of a pain though, but we were lucky enough to have some nice neighbors help us out. It was early evening before everything was unloaded from the truck and in our small apartment. Dad and I collapsed tiredly onto the couch, just happy to finally be done. Unpacking was an obstacle for another day.

For a while, we were silent. Then, I decided to break the silence. “So, Dad, what is this spectacular new job you've been called out here for?” I asked, looking over at him. “I got called in to work at Axion Labs. It's a very prestigious place,” he explained proudly, sounding almost like a little kid boasting over a new toy. “Sounds cool,” I said with a grin. He chuckled a bit, then let out a sigh and looked at all of the boxes littering the place. “C'mon, Max, we should at least get these boxes in the rooms they belong to,” he said and got off of the couch with a small groan. Man, couldn't we just be lazy and procrastinate it all instead?

Before I could waste any more time, my dad dragged me off the couch and we both got to work, if not a bit reluctantly. I hauled my boxes to my room, getting a good look at it for the first time. While small, it was at least cozy. Painted a light beige, it had carpet that was a few shades darker and a large window that overlooked the street. My mattress was leaning against one wall, along with my one dresser and night stand. The bed frame could wait to be put together until later. After a few hours, I had managed to drag pretty much all of my boxes into my room as well as put sheets on my mattress and put it on the ground by the window. The clothes would take forever to put away, so I went to help my dad with the rest of the apartment.

“So, what school will I be attending?” I asked him as we put away dishes into the cabinets. “I've got you enrolled into Casper High School. You'll start next week on Monday. No buts about it,” he added the last part as a warning, catching the eye roll I was doing. Being the new kid was not going to be fun. “Will you be starting work then, too?” I asked him, and he nodded while he shoved the rest of the pots and pans into one of the larger cabinets. He wasn't much of an organizer.

The rest of the night was spent unpacking and ordering some rather decent take out. At least they had good pizza here. Dad and I went to sleep, making promises to each other that we would finish unpacking the next day even though we both knew that that was never going to happen. At first, I actually had trouble getting to sleep. It all felt so weird, knowing that I was not at home and that tomorrow wasn't going to be some regular school day. That, and also the fact that the timezone was different. It wasn't by too much, but it was still enough to confuse me for a bit before I actually fell asleep.

Then, I had one of the most disturbing dreams I've ever had to date. I stood on what seemed like a floating rock in space. Some kind of green, swirly-looking space. “Hello?” I called out, feeling rather freaked out. A shadow shifted behind me and I whirled around, watching with horrific fascination as it morphed and solidified into a person of some sort. As they got more detailed, an eerie sort of recognition passed through my mind. _I know you,_ I thought, trying to place her shadowed face.The girl finally stepped towards me, and I got a good look at her as she came into the light.

She had bright, almost headache inducing hair that was a few shades lighter than cyan. It reached the middle of her back, the same length as my own hair. But, the similarities didn't stop there. Like mine, her hair was wavy and somewhat frizzy, though the way it moved was almost like it was some weird fire. Her skin was tinged with blue, and her bright blue eyes were so pale they were almost white, a stark contrast to my own warm hazel ones. The eyes staring back at me glowed almost eerily enough to make me shiver, though her somewhat evil expression could have done that on its own.

“Who are you?” I demanded, refusing to be scared in front of this creep. She stepped right up to me, getting right in my face. It wasn't difficult, seeing as how we were both the same height. “C'mon Maxie, you're a smart girl,” the person practically purred, taunting me. “This shouldn't be that hard to figure out.” The use of my dad's old nickname for me made me want to punch her in the face. No one called me that but Dad! I glared at her, receiving a knowing grin from her. Suddenly, she grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look her right in the eye. “I'm you!”


	3. Who Knew Ghosts Were real?

I woke up with a start, my heartbeat rapid. When I looked around groggily, I realized that something wasn't quite right..."Agh!" I yelled as I fell onto my mattress. Had I just been floating? What the heck? This was definitely _not_ my best night. Or day, rather, as I could already make out the sunlight filtering through my window. Aw man, was it really day time already? Groaning, I made myself comfortable again and tried to get back to sleep. Hopefully that stupid dream wouldn't happen again.

Dad woke me up a few hours later and we got back to unpacking everything. The work kept me busy, sure, but my thoughts continuously wandered back to my dream. I was against the whole "dreams can tell the future" thing, but it had seemed almost  _too_ real. Like, if I turned to a mirror right then, I'd see that girl glaring back at me. The whole situation made my skin crawl. So absorbed was I in my work of unpacking the DVDs that I almost jumped out of my skin when Dad tapped me on the shoulder. Apparently he'd been trying to talk to me for the last ten minutes. "Um, sorry. What were you saying?" I asked, smiling sheepishly. He shook his head at me and started to open a new box. "I was saying that it would probably be a good idea for you to go and get a good look around town. Maybe meet some people so you won't be completely alone once you start school?" he suggested. Well, I couldn't deny that he had a point. "I guess I could take a stroll later or something," I said with a shrug. Satisfied, he went back to his work and I resumed mine.

An hour later, when the movies had all been put away, I grabbed my cellphone and headed out the door. "I bid thee farewell, Father!" I said dramatically as I closed the door behind me, cutting off his usual reminder to keep my phone on. Outside of the apartment building, I immediately noticed that it was a lot cooler here than it had been back home. It was almost cool enough for me to wish for a jacket. The difference was enough to give me a pang of homesickness, which I tried to stifle to the best of my abilities. It would be no use to pine after what I couldn't have. Instead, I focused my attention to my new surroundings.

Everything seemed pretty normal to me. Well, I assumed it was all normal. School had let out a bit earlier in the day, so I occasionally saw a pack of teens roaming the streets. I knew my dad wanted me to get out and meet people, but I honestly wasn't too keen on going around and saying hi to every person that was around my age. That would just be weird.

Just as I turned onto a quiet street, a weird chill went up my spine and I shivered. Funny, I hadn't felt a breeze or anything. Then, there was yelling above me. Startled, I looked up and saw the most bizarre thing ever. Two figures were floating in the sky, facing each other. What the hell? One of them, the one who appeared to be wearing some sort of black jumpsuit, looked pretty relaxed, though it was impossible to tell the expression on their face. The other guy, however, was extremely animated. He was yelling something and waving his arms around while boxes flew around him. "I am the Box Ghost! Fear me!" he called, flinging his 'weapons' towards his opponent. I wasn't sure whether to be afraid of the fact that he was a ghost or amused that he chose boxes of all things to strike with. My curiosity drove me closer and I was able to hide in a conveniently placed alley.

"I haven't been afraid of you since, well, ever," the other ghost replied, phasing through the boxes without missing a beat. He sounded younger, and I was able to get a better look at him from my new hideout. Surprisingly, he looked almost my age! His hair was white, and his eyes were such a bright green that even I could see from so far below. The jumpsuit he wore was black with white gloves, boots, collar, and some kind of insignia on his chest. Strange, he didn't have the same blue-tinged skin as his box-orientated counterpart. His actually seemed human like.

At the comment, Box Ghost seemed to falter slightly. "You don't fear me? That will change soon! You and all of the Ghost Zone will learn to beware the awesome power of the Box Ghost!" he yelled into the heavens. While he made his rather dramatic monologue, the ghost kid's hand started to glow. Energy pooled within, and then he shot it at the other ghost, catching him by surprise. "Over my undead body," the ghost kid threatened, though it sounded more exasperated than a real threat.

Two teenagers had appeared around the corner and, oddly enough, were running  _towards_  the ghost fight. Wait, why were they fighting, anyways? Could ghosts even get injured? Was this some kind of "Ghost Busters" type deal instead? I returned my attention to the running teens and watched as they stopped under the quarrel. One of them, a girl with a fondness for black clothing, held something shiny up in the hair. Was that a thermos? I highly doubted ghosts would want soup at a time like this. "Danny, you forgot the thermos  _again!_ " she yelled with annoyance. The white-haired ghost swooped down, thanked her while he grabbed the container, then flew back up and opened it. Bewildered, I watched as light shot out of it, encase the Box Ghost, then suck him into it. Danny screwed the cap back on and landed back onto the ground lightly. "I don't know why he even tries anymore," he said with a small chuckle. "Hey, even ghosts can have hopes and dreams," said the other teen, another boy with a red beret and glasses.

Wait a second. Those two kids had just witnessed a  _ghost fight_  and seemed completely unfazed! They were even chatting like old friends with one of the ghosts! This was all just way too strange. Confused, I watched them talk a bit more before the ghost named Danny grabbed hold of both of them and lifted them into the air. They disappeared in an instant. Even so, I waited a good five minutes before leaving my hiding spot.  _What the hell did I just watch?_ I asked myself. Was this some kind of elaborate prank?

Shaking my head with a mixture of shock and confusion, I started on my way home again. After the fight, I really wasn't sure I wanted to see the rest of the town now. Amity Park seemed to be the place where logic went to die. Ghosts fighting ghosts, magical thermoses, and no one but me seemed to find it strange in any way. Maybe I had unknowingly stepped into some "Casper the Friendly Ghost" live-action film set.

I ran a hand through my thick auburn hair, pushing it out of my face. My stomach growled, begging me to at least get some lunch before returning home. Grocery shopping wasn't exactly a priority yet with Dad, so we were sadly lacking in the food department. Deciding it couldn't hurt, I eventually asked for directions to the nearest fast food joint. Following them, I found myself at a place called Nasty Burger. Wow, sounds appetizing alright.

Apparently, it was a very teen-centric place. They were everywhere when I walked in. I wondered just how close the place was to the high school before I dug up the little bit of money I had in my jeans' pocket. Lucky for me it was just enough for a burger and a drink. I got my food and sat down at one of the few empty tables before relaxing back and going over the ghost fight scene in my head. Well, it wasn't much of a fight, really. The Box Ghost hadn't had a chance. I almost felt bad for the dead guy. It must be humiliating to get sucked into a thermos of all things.

While I ate, I let my gaze wander aimlessly. I had no doubt that I would be seeing a lot of these faces on Monday when I went to school. Grimacing slightly at the thought of school, I focused on a particular trio of teens sitting in a booth. I almost choked on my burger when I recognized the goth girl and beret wearing boy from earlier. They were with another boy, one with black hair and blue eyes. He seemed vaguely familiar, but I passed it off with the thought that I had maybe passed him on the street earlier. Seeing them talking together made me wonder if they were recounting the ghost scene.  _Why should I care?_ I wondered suddenly. Why was I getting so hung up over this? Maybe the town was haunted and everyone was just comfortable around paranormal people! I really should've done some research prior to coming here. Tearing my over curious stare away from the other teens, I focused on finishing my cheap meal. It was rude to stare, after all.

My morals were askew, apparently. Even after telling myself to stop in case I freaked someone out, I couldn't help but stare at some other people instead. People watching was a bit of a hobby of mine. Well, 'a bit' might be a bit of an understatement. It was kind of compelling, watching people and imagining their life stories as they interacted with each other. Some found it creepy, but I suppose that's understandable. Not everyone liked to have their every action scrutinized by some curious stranger.

The place had emptied out considerably by the time I was finished eating. The curious trio was still there, and I almost went up to them to introduce myself out of sheer curiosity to get to know them, but I stopped myself. Maybe it would just be best if I left them alone and forgot about the whole ghost incident instead. Before I could do anything rash, I exited the burger joint and started home. No doubt Dad would need some more help unpacking. Hopefully he wouldn't pry for details on my walk. With Dad, I wasn't always sure what I could and couldn't tell him. He might laugh at my explanation of the ghost scene and ask if I was feeling alright, or he would worry endlessly and decide that ghosts weren't worth the new job. I decided to keep the whole thing to myself instead of taking the risk. Chances were it would never happen again anyways, right?


	4. School Gets Interesting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max starts school at Casper High.

Ch. 4

 

The week passed by without much incident. Dad didn't ask for too many details about my walk, and the subject was never brought up again. We managed to get completely unpacked and somewhat organized by the time Monday rolled around, though it was still too soon in my opinion.

Monday morning found me sitting at the small kitchen table, drinking coffee with a very grudging expression. My dad also had a mug in front of him as he sat with me, though he looked considerably more awake and was certainly happier about his oncoming day than I was. “Oh cheer up, Max! It's not gonna be as bad as you think!” he promised me cheerfully. I simply glared at him in response, too tired to even think of a suitable retort. He only shrugged and finished up his coffee. “You should hurry up and get ready. I don't want to be late to my new job and you'll surely want to get a good look around so you can find your classes,” he recommended as he got up to get ready himself. I could only continue my groggy glare, not wanting to acknowledge that he was right. I only finished my coffee when he left to get dressed, then set it in the sink and dragged myself back to my room to get ready. It wasn't that I really hated school itself, per say, it's just that I really, really hate mornings. That, coupled with the fact that this was going to be the first school I went to where I didn't know anyone at all, did not motivate me to move any faster.

Somehow, I managed to get ready quick enough and Dad was able to drop me off at my new school a bit earlier than usual so I could get my bearings. “Good luck!” he said with a conspiratorial wink before driving off. Facing my school, I suddenly had the urge to high tail it out of there. Oh boy, if only it were that simple. I took a deep breath and entered the school. The front office was, thankfully, easy to find. The secretary was a nice lady who was expecting me, no doubt thanks to a call from Dad. “Here is your locker and your schedule,” she said kindly, handing me papers. I thanked her and left, wandering about the halls in search of my elusive locker.

By the time I actually managed to find it and get the stupid thing open, more students were starting to arrive. I cursed under my breath as my things started to slip out of my backpack and onto the floor while I tried to get everything into my locker. Sighing with frustration, I knelt down and started collecting my stuff before people could step all over it.

“Do you need some help?” someone asked beside me. “Help would be wonderful,” I muttered, perhaps a bit grumpily. The person knelt by me and gathered what I couldn't reach and handed it back to me. Once I had everything in my arms I finally straightened and got a good look at my helper. I was so startled that I actually recognized them that I nearly dropped my books again. It was the black haired kid that I had seen at the Nasty Burger! “Ah, thanks...” I began, not sure what to call him. “Call me Danny,” he said with a smile. I nodded, “Well thank you, Danny.” I stuffed my things into my locker a bit roughly before turning back to him quickly. “I'm Max, by the way,” I said so as not to be rude. It was good to have a name to match with the face, though.

Two more familiar faces approached Danny. It was the goth girl and the beret guy. “Sam, Tucker, this is Max,” Danny said, introducing us. “I've never seen you around before. Are you new?” the girl called Sam asked. I grabbed my schedule and things that I would need for class before I closed my locker and turned back to answer her. “Yeah. My dad and I just got into town last week,” I explained. Sam looked like she was about to say something before Tucker cut in, nearly pushing her out of the way in an effort to stand by me. “The name's Tucker Foley, as in the only guy you'll ever need,” he said in an attempt to sound charming while grinning at me. He offered his hand to me, but I edged back a bit. “Ah ha, thanks, but I don't really need a guy,” I said, trying to be polite. Honestly, I had never been hit on before and it was very, very awkward for me. Tucker, however, seemed to take the refusal in stride, though his face fell a bit. Behind him, Sam and Danny snickered before he turned to glare at them.

While Tucker and his friends started some sort of argument, I grabbed the chance to look around the halls at the other students. At five foot nine, I was one of the taller kids in the hall, though I was still dwarfed by some big guys in letterman jackets. My roaming gaze spotted a group of giggling girls near the jocks, and I sincerely hoped they weren't the type to bully. I was probably wrong, but I could always hope. I had a thicker build than what was, well, usually deemed as “pretty”. True, most of it was muscle from the sports I had enjoyed back home, but there was no denying the simpler facts. I was lazy and really, really enjoyed food. Back home, I had been the target of some harsh words from the thinner, prettier girls but they hadn't actually bugged me after we started high school. I will never understand why, but kids are a lot meaner in middle school.

I turned my gaze away and glanced down at my schedule before looking towards the trio. Were we actually friends if we had just met? “Would you guys mind helping me find my first class?” I asked, shifting a bit under the weight of my binder and things piled in my arms. Seizing it like he would a chance at redemption, Tucker snatched the paper away and immediately started walking down the hall, commenting about who knows what while he walked. I glanced at the other two, but from their expressions I could tell that this seemed to be the usual thing Tucker would do. I followed after him with no other real choice.

“Looks like you got Mr. Lancer for English class. He's not my favorite teacher, but at least you'll have the three of us to keep ya from dying out of boredom,” he said with a proud smirk as he handed my schedule back to me. Hopefully that was a lucky thing. They lead me to class and I got a seat in the back. The bell rang, and I officially began my first day at Casper High.

Surprisingly enough, it was actually not that bad. I had to get some papers signed, and unfortunately I was already given homework. Couldn't stay behind forever, I suppose. Still, seeing as how it was still pretty early into the school year, I was a bit surprised that I had some much stuff to do. My hopes of slacking off until I got adjusted went out the window. By the time lunch rolled around, I had three new textbooks to stash into my locker, plus a novel to read for English.

The cafeteria was packed by the time I got to it, and there wasn't an empty table in sight. I was saved from having to choose by Sam, who was waving at me from a table towards the other side of the noisy room. Relieved, I made my way towards her, Danny, and Tucker. I was really glad that they weren't the type to pick on the new kid. There had been quite a lot of that back at my old school. Now I realized just how bad that felt and felt a whole new type of admiration for kids who did this all the time. I sat with the three of them and pulled out my packed lunch. Dad was very suspicious of cafeteria food, and I honestly couldn't blame him. That stuff was definitely not food.

“So where are you from, Max?” Sam asked me as she pulled out a small salad for her lunch. “Las Vegas,” I answered simply before digging into my sandwich. “Wait...did you like, gamble and stuff?” Tucker asked with his mouth full, spraying food everywhere. “Obviously. It's not like there are laws against underage gambling or anything,” I said, taking care that I at least swallowed my food before talking. He blushed slightly, realizing how stupid his question had sounded, then returned to his food. I was about to ask another question when a weird chill traveled down my spine, making me shiver. Danny seemed to have experienced the same thing, though I could've swore I saw something like mist come out of his mouth. He stood up abruptly and said, “Bathroom!” Then, he dashed out of the cafeteria. I stared after him, confused, then looked at the other two. They exchanged a quick, knowing look before Sam grinned at me. “Oh that's normal, don't worry about it!” she assured. Tucker was quick to add, “Yeah, that's our Danny! Bladder the size of a walnut!” After a bout of some very forced sounding laughter, they tried to ask me more questions.

“What do your parents do?”

“How many casinos have you been to?”

“What's Vegas like?”

“Have you been through the desert on a horse with no name?”

As polite as I wanted to be, I really didn't want to answer their questions. Instead, I got up, intent on figuring out what was actually going on. That chill hadn't been a coincidence. Sam and Tucker stood up as well, blocking my way and trying to distract me. Something occurred to me, and I fixed them with a narrowed-eyed glare. “Does this distraction nonsense have anything to do with that ghost kid?” I asked. Both of them paled, their eyes widening slightly. That was an answer enough for me, and I quickly dodged around them and made it out of the cafeteria. There was no sign of Danny, of course, but there was a noise coming from down the hall. Screams followed what sounded like smashing, and for some stupid reason I ran towards it.

Ghost-boy was there, and so was another ghost who I didn't recognize. He looked like a giant metal man, and his green hair was pretty much just fire. “Puny welp. Did you really think that I, Skulker, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter, wouldn't capture you eventually?” he snarled at the ghost boy. The kid had been slammed into the lockers, but he didn't seem too hurt. “Actually, I figured you would realize that it's no use after the millionth time I beat you,” he replied before kicking Skulker away from him. Instead of slamming into the wall, he phased through it.

“Holy hell,” I muttered, wide eyed. The ghost-boy didn't even notice me as he phased through the wall as well, apparently going after the hunter. A moment later, I was joined by Tucker and Sam. “Did you see something?” the goth asked me. I could only nod in reply, staring at the wall as if the ghosts would phase back into the hallway. After a moment, I finally managed to speak.

“So, there seems to be a bit of a ghost problem.”


	5. Intangiwhat?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious powers start to manifest themselves and disrupt Max's would-be normal life.

Ch. 5

 

I didn't go after the ghosts. I almost did, believe me, but Tucker and Sam held me back. “Dude, you really don't want to mess with ghosts,” Tucker warned as we started back for the cafeteria. “Are they always around like this?” I asked, glancing around at the still-full cafeteria. No one seemed to have heard the crash of the lockers above the clamor of teenage gossip. “Well, Amity Park isn't the most haunted town in America for nothing,” Sam said with a shrug. Most haunted? Huh, I hadn't known that. I _really_ needed to start researching stuff beforehand.

Danny didn't reappear until after lunch ended. Something was definitely up with that guy, beyond perhaps the need for more fiber in his diet. Maybe I was just being a bit paranoid, but I still vowed to keep a watchful eye on him just in case.

The rest of my school day went by pretty fast. It was really just the same thing over and over again. Sign the teacher's roster, collect paperwork, get whatever I needed to get caught up with everybody else. There was a lot of work, and I was really not looking forward to it at all. Once the final bell sounded, I rushed to my locker and struggled to heave everything into my backpack. Damn textbooks weighed a ton. At this rate, I was going to have back problems by the time I graduated.

There were a few people making their way towards the Nasty Burger as I headed out of the school. I almost considered joining them, then remembered that I had no money and trashed the idea. Instead, I started off towards the apartment, my backpack slowing me down considerably. _Stupid books,_ I thought. _Why must they be so heavy?_ Man, if I had superpowers, I'd find a way to levitate my bag and have it float beside me or something. Maybe just being able to fly would help out.

Before I could delve deeper into my superhero dreams, a scream interrupted me. Abandoning commonsense, I ran around the corner and towards the noise. Well, I tried to run. It was pretty awkward with my backpack, but I managed to get to the scene of distress. A chill ran up my spine for the second time that day, and when I looked up I saw, you guessed it, more ghosts. Couldn't they just go and haunt a cemetery or some decrepit old house?

Ghost-kid was back, and so was Metal Guy. No wait, excuse me. His name was _Skulker._ They were arguing or something, it was hard to tell. People ran past me, and someone yelled, “You can take him, Danny Phantom!” So, Ghost-kid _did_ have a name! It wasn't as ominous as Skulker's, but oh well. The bigger ghost had a gun rise up from right out of his arm and he aimed it at Phantom. This guy was packing some serious heat with that monstrosity. He shot what looked like a missile, but the ghost-kid dodged it easily. So caught up in the fight was I that I didn't take care to notice that the missile still flew. In fact, it crashed right in the building behind me. I yelled out, ducking and covering my head with my arms as part of the wall rained down on me.

Except, I didn't feel anything.

When I dared to open my eyes, I found myself buried in rubble. But, when I looked down at my body, I saw that the debris had fallen _through_ me. I was still standing in it, but my whole form was nearly see through and I couldn't feel anything. With a yelp, I jumped back, out of the pile. Instantly, I was solid again. The ghosts had flown off down the street, crashes and yelling exploiting their location. Meanwhile, my heartbeat was racing. All I could do was stare at myself, wondering what the hell had just happened to me. Unable to come up with an explanation, I turned tail and ran for home.

Later that day, I was sitting on my bed with the door closed and locked. Dad was still at work, but he had called earlier to say he'd be back soon enough. It was fortunate for me. If he saw what was going on, he would freak out. I sat still, staring at my hand with a mix of shock and confusion. _What did I do earlier?_ I had already panicked enough for one day, so now I was trying to figure out what was going on. Taking a shaky breath, I closed my eyes and concentrated. When I opened them, I was sinking into my bed, my body literally going through it. I almost screamed as I jumped a bit, falling onto the floor with my now solid body. This was so creepy! It was like I was a ghost or something!

Wait.

I quickly put two fingers two my neck, then sighed with relief. My pulse was there, though it was a bit quick. So, I couldn't be dead. Standing, I started to pace my room. Anxiously, I ran my hand through my hair, trying to think calmly. But, as much as I tried to make sense of what was going on, I just couldn't! I stopped in the center of my room and shook my head. “Alright, knock it off. You're being an idiot,” I muttered to myself. Maybe I was just imagining things because of stress? Yes...yes that must be it. Stress-induced hallucinations.

Deciding I needed to distract myself, I went ahead and got started on the catch up work for school. I didn't look up from it until Dad got home an hour later. Only then did I leave my room. By then, I had managed to calm myself down completely. I smiled at Dad and gave him a hug, then we sat at the table as he plopped down a bag of take out. Bless him, he'd gone to Nasty Burger.

As we ate, he had me recount my first day of school. Conveniently, I left out the part about the ghosts in the hallway. He seemed happy enough that I had made friends already, though, and only chuckled when I complained about all the work I had. “Oh quit you're whining. Work is good for you. It builds character,” he said with amusement. I rolled my eyes at him and went back to my food, then he started to tell me about his first day at work. I raised the hamburger to my lips before it fell through my hands and back onto the table. I glared at my hands for a moment before they went back to normal, though thankfully enough my dad was too busy talking to have noticed. Before, this whole phasing nonsense had been scary. Now it was just getting infuriating. I had almost no control over the stupid thing! And, to make matters worse, it didn't seem like a stress thing. It was all too real now.

My next attempt, at least, was successful. This thing was not going to make me go hungry, that was for sure. I made it through dinner with only a few dropped french fries, but all safely landed on the table. Wasted food would be inexcusable. I went back to my room to get back to work while Dad turned on the T.V. I locked my door again, just in case, then got back to work on my homework. There was a point when I was simply trying to read a passage in my English novel when I happened to glance at my hand. Or, well, where my hand _should've_ been. I accidentally dropped the book, and then my hand reappeared. I cursed, examining my hand. Great, now there was invisibility to worry about, too? How could this possibly get any worse?

After I calmed myself down a bit, I finished off the rest of my homework. It certainly wasn't my best work, but I was too frustrated to concentrate fully. At least it was done. I shoved everything back into my backpack, thankful at least that my biggest textbook was allowed to stay home. I said good night to Dad and got into bed early, hoping that everything would be normal when I woke up again.

Then, of course, I had a dream. I was back on the floating rock, and the, er, “other me” was there with me as well. She was looking awfully smug, and it made me mad. I never thought I'd be this mad at a dream before. “Having fun?” she asked me, smirking. My only answer was to glare at her. With a rather convincing evil cackle, she started to walk around me. I noticed that she was wearing the same clothes that I was, only hers were the opposite color that mine were. There was probably some great metaphor in here somewhere, but wasn't patient enough to find it. “Will you stop appearing in my dreams?” I demanded, crossing my arms. “If you stop dreaming about me, then yeah. That is generally how these things work,” she answered, sounding amused. Well, she was certainly helpful, wasn't she?

“You're much slower than I thought you'd be,” the girl said, her amused smirk now a frown. “Excuse me?” I asked, feeling quite offended. Did she just call me stupid? Wouldn't that mean she was just calling herself stupid, then, too? “Your powers,” she explained. “You aren't handling them as well as I thought you would.” My eyes widened slightly, wondering how she knew about the strange occurrences. _Well duh, this is a dream, you idiot,_ I realized. Oh, right. This was all in my head, so of course she knew. “Maybe you just need a little...extra push,” she said, suddenly right in front of me. Now, she was grinning, and I did not like it at all. With one hand, she shoved me backwards. I stumbled back, but there was nothing behind me to stumble onto. Nothing but empty space. Yelling, I fell off the rock and woke up, my heart pounding.

Groaning, I got up feeling like I had just fallen off a building. Then, I realized that I practically did. I was in the basement of the apartment building with a pretty good idea of how I had gotten there. Sighing, shoulders slumped, I made the long climb up the stairs to my floor, wondering how I was going to get in. For a few minutes, I stared at the door, contemplating the look on my dad's face if he answered the door and found me outside. An unsavory idea popped into my head, and I had no choice but to try it. Glancing around, I made sure no one was around before I closed my eyes and tried to focus. Hesitantly, I stepped forward, expecting to meet the door. Instead, I passed through it and almost fell into my living room. That actually worked? Really? Shocked, I felt myself return to normal before I crept back to my bedroom. I could hear Dad snoring from his room and let out a small breath of relief. I slipped back into bed and tried to get back to sleep, though no matter how comfortable I got, I'd always end up wide eyed when a flash of my dream came back to me.

Why couldn't the ability to do well on lack of sleep be a superpower?

Morning rolled around with me still trying to get back to sleep. I gave up on it once I heard Dad walk down the hall to the kitchen. I'd just have to get by with some coffee today. Dad raised an eyebrow at me when I trudged into the kitchen and rifled through the cabinets for some cereal. “Didn't get much sleep, eh?” he asked as he waited for the coffee to brew. “You have no idea,” I grumbled, pouring myself a bowl before sitting at the table. With my luck these days, I would fall asleep in school, have a nightmare, and wake up in the basement. Well, assuming the school had a basement. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I turned solid while phasing through the ground. My dad sat at the table with me, passing a mug of fresh coffee towards me with all the flavors and stuff I liked already added. “Thanks,” I mumbled tiredly. He smiled sympathetically before reaching over and tousling my hair. “You'll readjust, don't worry about it,” he assured me.

If only that was the real problem.  


	6. Puck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new ghost appears and creates chaos.

Ch. 6

 

At school, I remained quiet during first period. Truth be told, I was really just trying my hardest to not fall asleep right then and there. Mr. Lancer was boring enough to lull me to sleep, that was for sure. However, I knew better than to let myself drift off. There was no telling what would happen if I had that nightmare again, and I didn't want to find out.

There was a certain excitement that was buzzing through the students by the time lunch rolled around. The girls were louder, more giggly, and the jocks seemed to be strutting down the halls more than yesterday. “Did I miss something?” I asked Sam quietly as we sat down at the cafeteria table. A particularly loud group of girls were whispering excitedly amongst themselves as they crowded around their table, some of them occasionally waving at certain boys with sly grins.

Uh-oh.

Sam rolled her eyes a bit, following my gaze towards the gossipers. “Didn't you hear Mr. Lancer this morning? He announced some stuff about the Halloween Dance that's coming up. It's not like any self respecting person would go to some cliché event like that anyways. I blame the media for making it all about the stuff you wear and who you end up going with,” she said, scoffing slightly. Well, I suppose I had missed more than I had thought this morning. “They're kind of overhyped, I suppose,” I said with a shrug. Danny and Tucker sat down across from us then, letting their cafeteria trays fall onto the table. “I'm going to ask Star to the dance!” Tucker announced proudly. “When she rejects you, will this be number five hundred and twelve or five hundred and thirteen? I kind of lost count,” Danny asked as he dug into the funky looking 'meat' that the cafeteria was serving. The other boy just brushed off the comment, unabashed. “She will say yes this time, just watch!” he promised. Bravely, he stood up and sauntered on over to a blond girl, and was promptly smacked in the face before he could get his full request out. The three of us sniggered at that. At least he persistent.

I propped my elbow up and rested my cheek in the palm of my hand, letting loose the millionth yawn of the day. “Rough night?” asked Sam, raising an eyebrow at me. “You could say that,” I muttered, taking a halfhearted bite of my sandwich. She looked like she was about to say something before Tucker slumped back into his seat, looking rather dejected. “Oh cheer up, Tuck. Maybe one day someone will finally say yes,” Danny said, patting him on the back. The poor sap had his head buried in his arms, muffling whatever he had tried to say.

With a thunk, my own head hit the table. I sat up, startled, and rubbed my forehead with a grimace. I hadn't meant to do that. With a glance down, I realized that my arm had turned intangible on its own. It reappeared quickly, though it wasn't quick enough to suppress my shudder. My friends were staring at me oddly, so I shrugged and gave them a forced smile. “Hand slipped,” I lied and went back to eating.

The rest of the day passed in a tired haze. There were some bits and pieces about the dance, but other than that I retained absolutely nothing. My teachers must be so impressed. On my way home, I ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere and ended up lost. _Well isn't this just freaking fantastic?_ I thought. Stopping where I was, I looked around and tried to figure out where I was. Nothing looked familiar, so I ended up just sitting on the curb. Not my best idea, but even retracing my steps would do nothing if I couldn't concentrate long enough to read a street sign. Sighing heavily, I leaned onto my curled up legs and rested my head against my knees for a bit. All I needed to do was scrape together my strength, get up, and retrace my steps to get home. Assuming I could remember what streets I had just been down, of course.

Five minutes of encouraging myself later, I stood up and started walking the opposite direction as I had come. That was, of course, when the ghost attacked. He popped out of the building in front of me and glared at me for a moment. I didn't recognize him, but it seemed awfully strange how many ghost teenagers were flying around in this town. “What're you looking at, Casper?” I snapped, pushing right past him. His eyes widened, startled, and he trailed after me. “Uh, aren't you scared?” he asked with a frown. I looked over at him with narrowed eyes. He was about my height and age, with glowing green eyes, extremely bright red hair, and he wore some kind of old fashioned tuxedo with a cape. “Scared? No. Tired and pissed? Very,” I said. He scoffed and folded his arms over his chest. “Well, aren't you just a big ball of sunshine! Are you always this rude to strangers? No wonder you're alone, Miss Rude.” I rolled my eyes at him and turned the corner, finding myself still in unrecognizable territory. _Wonderful._

New ghost-boy continued to follow me, though his puzzled frown had grown into a smirk. “You're lost, aren't you? How sad. If you weren't so mean, I'd help ya out,” he said, then sighed dramatically. “Yeah right, like I'd ever trust a ghost,” I said, continuing to walk in the hopes that I'd know where I was eventually. He started to float along next to me, looking highly amused. “Not all ghosts are bad, darling, only the majority,” he pointed out. I stopped, glaring at him. “Look, what do you want from me, Ghost?” I asked, arms folded. Instead of answering me, he turned onto his back and stared up at the sky, smiling smugly. “Real useful, aren't you?” I muttered, then resumed walking. Still, he followed, though at a more leisurely pace.

All was quiet for a few minutes while I grew slightly more panicked about being lost. I tried not to let it show, not wanting to have to turn to the ghost for help. “You're going the wrong way,” he sang cheerfully. Maybe if I ignored him, he'd leave me be. I kept silent, though my hands did curl into fists. Could a living person punch a ghost? Hopefully. “Oh dear, wrong move there,” he tutted while I crossed the street. “You know, all you have to say is 'please'. Actually, no, scratch that. Your rudeness demands more. How about 'I am so sorry for insulting you, dear friend Puck, and I promise to never ever ever ever ever ever do it again'? Yes, yes that sounds _delightful_ , don't you think?” All of the patience in the world was not going to help me with this idiot. “Will you just leave me alone?” I yelled at him. “I don't want your help, so why don't you piss off already?”

He blinked, slightly surprised, then in a sudden motion he grabbed my arm and flew both of us up to the top of the building closest to us. “Alright, alright, I'll admit I have had my fun. Now it's time for the _real_ game to begin!” he admitted. My confused look only make him smile widely, and then he casually pushed me off the roof.


	7. The Day I Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max experiences her worst nightmares.

Ch. 7

 

I fell, screaming as I tried to brace for the impact. There was a light, something I must've imagined, and then I slammed into the ground. Pain spiked through my back, and I nearly blacked out. When my vision cleared, I sat up slightly with a groan, one hand rubbing my head. Puck flew down to me, and it was then that I realized that I had somehow made a crater in the sidewalk. “Well it's about time! Didn't think you'd actually hit the ground, though, to tell ya the truth,” he said, peering down at me with a mildly impressed look. “You idiot, I'll kill you!” I yelled, angry all over again. Without thinking, I lunged at him. He turned intangible, and I ended up smacking into the window of the building I had just been pushed off of. “I'm a ghost, in case you hadn't noticed,” Puck reminded me oh-so-kindly.

Scowling, I glared at his reflection in the window. I almost turned to face him when I realized that something was off. My reflection...wasn't _me._ Well, it was, but I definitely did not look normal. Caught off guard, I stared at myself for a moment before backing away. “No...no. That's impossible!” I said, feeling panicked. The girl staring back at me mirrored my moves, erasing any doubt. It was me, but not. My hair, skin, and eyes were blue, exactly like in my dreams. I had actually turned into the other me! I looked down at my hands, forming fists and then releasing them. They were real, alright. I was still me, only tinged with blue. Glancing up at my reflection again, I noticed that there was also a faint white outline around my figure, something that was also present around Puck. “Nothing is impossible,” he pointed out, watching my reaction with a smirk.

I whirled around on him, taking him surprise and even prompting him to take a step back. “You killed me! You literally murdered me!” I yelled, punching at him. He ducked, but the next punch caught him off guard. The ghost stumbled back, looking a bit shocked but the expression disappeared quickly. “I didn't kill you!” he snapped, straightening out his ridiculous jacket with a huff. “Yes you did! You pushed me off of a building!” I charged at him, tackling him to the ground. The coward phased through the ground quickly, leaving me to pound out my frustration on the sidewalk. “Get back here you stupid ghost! I will end your afterlife!” Needless to say, he didn't reappear.

Grumbling, I sat back and ran a hand through my hair, noticing that it felt lighter than normal and it seemed to take a bit longer to float back down. Great, now I could play with my floating hair for the rest of eternity. I took a moment to squeeze my eyes shut, jaw clenched as I tried to control my rising panic and despair. I was dead. Dead and gone and there was nothing I could do about it.

And it was all Puck's fault.

After a few moments, I opened my eyes and got up, a mixture of rage and sadness fighting for dominance inside me. Only when I looked down did I notice that I was no longer on the ground. With a yelp, I jumped slightly, only accelerating my ascent. Squirming and flailing did nothing except turn me upside down. Even with my arm stretched out, I couldn't reach the ground. Frustrated, I yelled out and tried to swim towards the ground like the air was water and the sidewalk was the surface. It didn't help. With a huff, I hung there for a moment, trying to think. How was I going to deal with this?

Before I could anywhere, I heard a voice above me. “You look pretty funny like that, you know,” said the ghost kid. Ah, how _fantastic._ I craned my neck awkwardly, trying to get a good look at him from my upside down perspective. He was simply floating there in his glorious right-way up manner, an eyebrow raised at me. “Oh, shut up,” I grumbled, reaching up for my toes and finally managing to right myself. It was a bit terrifying, to say the least. “Ha!” I yelled triumphantly, but then I was suddenly swathed in a weird light and was being pulled towards the thermos in the ghost's hand. “Wait! No!” but my pleas went unanswered as I was crammed into the tiny thermos. Everything was dark, and I couldn't breathe. Well, not that I needed to, but it would've helped. There were _others_ there too. Ghosts were yelling and cursing in my ear, only fueling my panic. It was too tight, _much_ too tight. There were too many of them, too much noise. I tried to bang on the walls, but there was no way I could move at all. My voice was useless, I felt too choked to say or yell. It was like being in my own personal hell. It seemed like hours before there was a click outside, and then we were all sucked out of the thermos. Other ghosts flew past me, and I was so relieved I almost cried. Free at last to move!

Then, I noticed where I was.

It was almost exactly like my dream, except I wasn't standing on a rock. The black and green place was disorientating and freaky. I backed up and succeeded in making myself go upside down again. After muttering a curse, I gathered up all of my willpower and, after some difficulty, I finally righted myself. Exercising my thoughts a bit more, I was able to push forward and sort of...float forward a bit. Slow, you bet, but at least I was right-side up and somewhat steady. Now, for the real question. _Where the hell am I?_

Every once in a while I'd see another ghost go by. Those lucky people could fly perfectly well, too. If I was a ghost, then why couldn't I fly as well as them? Did I really have to practice flying? That seemed kind of silly to me, but oh well. I leaned forward and gained some speed. Well, how about that! Once I got over the lack of ground, I found flying was actually quite enjoyable. That is, when I wasn't struggling upside-down. Satisfied that I had enough control to maneuver myself, I went back to examining the strange place I had ended up in. There were floating doors everywhere and beyond them were large areas of floating rocks, some with structures built on them. When I managed to turn around, the view was similar, though I did think I caught some kind of green glow. Probably just a ghost. This place did seem to be their home, anyways.

Time was impossible to tell now. It felt like it had been hours by now, but it might have only been a few minutes. Panic and despair started to settle in again. Lost, dead...what next? Was I going to get beaten up again by Puck or some other ghost? Was there some kind of newbie ritual that I had to be afraid of? My inner turmoil distracted me as I glided along, eventually colliding into something very big and very solid. I looked up into the face of a ghost with flame-like green hair and a metal body. His voice was deep and creepily familiar. “So, you were caught by the ghost kid too, yes?”


	8. Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ghost Zone proves to hide a secret.

Ch. 8

Skulker was definitely not the first ghost I wanted to see here in this strange new…dimension-thingy. I backed up a bit, looking up into his face and getting terrified shivers down my back. I was getting pretty tired of being terrified, though, and there would probably be no better chance to vent my frustration over Puck than right here, already dead and in front of the biggest guy I had ever come face to face with.

“Oh do please specify over which exact ghost boy you mean, won’t you? ‘Cause I’ve met about ten thousand of ‘em in a course of a month! I am so flippin’ tired of ghost kids it is insane! Where are all the ghost presidents, hmm? Don’t see any of those guys hangin’ ‘round, do ya? Damned be he who even mentions another ghost boy in front of me!” I yelled at him, floating up into his face for the full effect. Skulker blinked at me with surprise, completely taken aback by my outburst. “I’ve only seen the one--” he began, but I was already floating away. “No! I don’t care! No more! No mas! Leave me alone so I can enjoy my god damned after life already!”  
I was pretty surprised that he didn’t come and, I dunno, shoot me or something for yelling at him like that, but I guess he knew better than to argue with a pissed off teenager. We’re pretty hardheaded as a rule.

For a while after that I simply wandered, floating in the so called wind of the dead. Just being there, alone with my thoughts with nowhere to be and nowhere to go…well it was actually kind of relaxing after I got used to random ghost monsters popping up everywhere. It was almost like I was a fish in the middle of the ocean. A really small, insignificant fish that no one paid attention to. I kind of started to enjoy it.

My content didn’t stay with me for very long, however. Being alone with just my thoughts eventually lead me back to thinking about Dad. Where was he right now? Would he even know I was dead? This brought an important fact forth. I hadn’t seen a body in the crater where I had fallen. I was absolutely sure of it. Talk about strange! 

“You look mighty lost, young one,” said a low voice ahead of me. Startled, I stopped and looked up, fighting between the urge to yell at them to leave me be and to run away out of fright. The first one seemed to be the handier option. There was no way I could scare every ghost who came my way, though. Fortunately, the ghost in front of me was not as huge and intimidating as Skulker was. She was actually a very pretty young woman dressed in a torn nightgown with long, bright cyan hair and eyes that were almost white they were so pale. Her skin was gray, but other than that she looked rather lovely. “Lost is an understatement,” I muttered, trying to hold tight to my frustration lest I needed to channel it again but for some reason it just…ebbed away as she looked at me. Some kind of voodoo ghost vibe, I guess, but there was something about her that made me feel almost peaceful and at home. Why, she seemed downright familiar, and yet I knew for sure that I had never seen her around before in Amity Park.

The lady’s gaze saddened in a way that made my dead heart break. “This was not the life I had intended for you, Maximum,” she said softly. Hearing my full name made my breath catch as I backed up. “How do you know my name?” I demanded, the familiar terror and panic racing down my spine. She reached out with a pale hand and gently stroked my own cyan hair. Fear held me in place, but curiosity mingled as well. “I’m sorry, so sorry that we had to meet like this. You were supposed to have a normal life, happy and healthy,” she said, then sighed deeply. I had never been so freaked out before in my life. “Listen, Lady, I don’t know who you are, but you’re really freakin’ me out here. Who are you, exactly?” I asked again, batting her hand away from my head. The most sorrowful expression filled her face, as if she had hoped I wouldn’t ask her that. “Can’t guess, can you?” she asked, almost hopefully.

Well, there were plenty of theories racing around my head, but I was pretty sure she wasn’t God. Well, maybe 75%. “You’re…my fairy godmother?” I guessed with a shrug, really at a loss. The smallest of smiles graced her face, but then it was gone again. “You know who I am, Maximum. Stop denying it, please. You’re only making it harder on the both of us,” she whispered, a pleading look in her eyes. The fight fell out of me, my shoulders slumped. I knew who she was, but I didn’t want her to be.

“Mom?”


	9. Deal

Ch. 9

A sad smile tugged at her lips, and she made as if to reach out to me before pulling back at the last minute. "I…I have so many questions," I said, breathless and conflicted. "I don't even know where to start!"

"I cannot answer them," my mother interrupted with the most heartbreaking expression on her face. I paused, stunned stupid. "I'm sorry, truly I am, but you have to figure things out on your own. It is not my place. Just know this: you are not dead and you must get home." Nothing she said made any sense to me. How could I not be dead? I was a ghost! I opened my mouth to complain, but she disappeared.

"Does aspirin work for ghosts?" I wondered aloud before turning around and floating off back the way I had come. Why did everyone have to be frustrating today? Fifteen-year-olds can only handle so much stress in one day no matter what their vital signs looked like! My head throbbed and all I really felt like doing was curling up somewhere and shutting down for a year or three. Yeah, that seemed nice.

My internal turmoil distracted me until something green streaked past me inches away from my nose. With a yelp I jumped back and looked up, wide-eyed. Skulker was back. He had shot a net at me! "Your disrespect has a price, child!" he warned while aiming some strange gun at me.

"Hey…man. I'm sorry; really, it's just been a tough day and all…" I tried to explain as I raised my hands cautiously into an unassuming position. Slowly, we floated in a circle.

"Your apology is irrelevant," he stated, then pulled the trigger. Panicked, I tried to dodge, but the scalding beam of light struck me. There was more green light and then pain as I hit a wall.

I groaned, managing to swear breathlessly as I slid down the wall and fell onto my back upon the floor, staring dazedly up at the ceiling. It took a moment before I realized that I wasn't alone.

"Isn't that the ghost girl you just put back into the Ghost Zone?" asked a familiar male voice off to my right. Tucker? What the heck? There were footsteps and then three faces appeared above me. Sam, Tucker, and Danny Phantom all had mixed expressions, but honestly none of them seemed incredibly happy to see me.

"Hey…how's it goin'?" I asked weakly. The three of them glanced at each other before the other ghost's hand started to glow bright green.

He raised it above my face and I had no choice but to flinch away. "You have five seconds to tell us how you got out of the Ghost Zone so quickly," he threatened, glaring down at me with glowing green eyes. And here I thought that I was the impatient one.

Before I could gather my thoughts he began to count down, lowering his hand each time. "Okay, okay!" I yelped, holding my arms in front of my face as a shield. "Skulker shot me with some weird gun and now I'm here, alright!? Don't burn my face off for somethin' I didn't even do, man!" I explained hurriedly, squeezing my eyes shut. Luckily enough, he didn't scorch my face off. For a dead person, I sure did get hurt a lot.

"Skulker did this?" the ghost boy repeated. He glanced back at Tucker and Sam, the three of them exchanging equally confused expressions. I didn't really know they were so confused. Out of all the ghosts so far, Skulker seemed to be the most violent and crazy. Was shooting at a new ghost really that bizarre? They all turned to look back at me, and it was then that I could see the uncertainty. They didn't know what to do with me, did they? "Who are you?" Sam finally asked her hands on her hips as she studied me with narrowed eyes.

Damnit. I couldn't very well tell them my real name, now could I? "Ma…xima. Maxima, right, yes," I stumbled over my words, nearly spilling out my real name. It was stupidly close still, but I couldn't take it back. After some hesitation, the ghost kid held out his hand to me and I took it gratefully, getting awkwardly to my feet. Man, I had no idea how much I had missed gravity. I brushed off my obscenely bright clothes—apparently dying reverses the color—and then looked up at them, not quite sure what to do next. Fly away? Attempt to phase through a wall and find my way home and…

And then what? I was dead.

Dead and angry and confused. However, now that I was out of the ghost zone, there was someone who I wouldn't mind visiting and punching the crap out of. "You know…if you're still itchin' to hurt somebody, I know an actual evil ghost," I began, flicking a piece of lint from my shirt. The teenagers perked up considerably, interested. I glanced back up at them, picking and choosing my next words carefully. "His name is Puck. I'd say he's around fifteen or so, bright red hair, dressed kind of like Dracula without the fangs."

The three of them exchanged curious looks. "I've never seen this Puck guy around before. You sure he's in town?" Danny Phantom asked, looking back at me with suspicion. I technically had no way of knowing if he was still around or not, actually, but it was worth a try.

"He disappeared right before you sucked me into that thermos thing. I did not appreciate that, by the way. Do you have any idea how cramped it is in there?" I replied, shuddering slightly at the unpleasant memory.

Tucker nearly doubled up laughing behind him. "Trust me, he's had more time in that thing than anyone thanks to Jazz," he said, wiping at an imaginary tear. Sam whacked his shoulder, effectively getting him to yell with pain before shutting up. I had to admit, Sam was really growing on me. The ghost boy gave them a look before turning back to me, looking uncertain for a moment before giving me a determined nod.

"You think you could lead us to them?" he asked before he took out his thermos, checking it and fiddling around with it for whatever reason.

Being so close made me nervous and I edged along the wall a little, my eyes never leaving its evil, sleek figure. "I honestly have no idea. In case you hadn't noticed earlier, I just died like an hour ago," I said, bitterness creeping into my voice. Surprise surprise, the ghost girl is still peeved that no one had helped her out at the beginning of her afterlife. Who would've guessed?

He had the nerve to look at me sheepishly. "Yeah…about that, I'm really sorry. It's kind of a habit to suck a ghost into the Fenton Thermos when I run into one," he said apologetically. Sam and Tucker both gave me sympathetic looks, though I wasn't really in the mood to forgive the ghost boy just yet. Maybe after he had captured Puck I'd feel better about the whole thing. Thankfully, Danny Phantom put away his thermos of claustrophobia and I was able to relax enough to step away from the wall in order to get a good look around.

As far as laboratories go, this one seemed to fit the description pretty well. My eyes were immediately attracted to the glowing, swirling green vortex on the opposite wall. That must be the entrance to the Ghost Zone. Hopefully Skulker wasn't going to come and try to find me again because being slammed into walls was definitely not my idea of fun. "So, Puck?" Sam's voice pulled me away from my observations, pulling my gaze back to the people who were staring at me.

"Like I said, I dunno if I can really lead you to him. I can try, but it'll be slow going. I'm not much of a flyer with…gravity in the equation," I explained, shrugging slightly. As if to emphasize my point, I started to involuntarily hover above the ground.

Looking somewhat bemused, the ghost kid pushed me back down with a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe we could use you as bait?" he asked, glancing back at his friends. I almost punched him right in his stupid face before I realized that he might actually have a good idea going there.

Pondering it over, I pushed the kid's hand off my shoulder and glanced around the laboratory again, mostly stalling so I could think it over. It wasn't exactly foolproof, but at least I'd have a purpose for more than five minutes. "Alright, fine," I agreed finally, looking back at them. "I'll be the bait, but I swear if you let him touch me I'm going to be the one sucking you into that damned thermos of yours."

My glare was enough to make him take a step back, but he was smirking at me anyways, "Deal."


	10. Sweet, Sweet Payback

Ten minutes later saw us outside roaming the streets. Sam, Tucker, and I had all grabbed onto the ghost kid and he had flown us out of some house with a blimp on the roof. I didn’t really manage to get a good enough look at it while we left it. Being up in the air had given me the opportunity to better guide us to where I had last seen Puck. Fantastically enough, the crater was still there and provided the perfect landmark for me from above.  
I was let down right next to the crater and then the others went to hide. Looking around, I realized that there was something not quite right about my whole situation, logically speaking. The crater was empty…in fact, there was no body anywhere. Shouldn’t my body be here somewhere? I skirted around the hole, but found absolutely nothing. There wasn’t even a trace of blood. “I am so done with this town and all the weird stuff that happens here,” I muttered to myself, glaring down at the dent in the cement. How could a human even make an impact like that? It was like physics just didn’t exist in the town.  


“Helloooo there, Miss Grumpy,” trilled a familiar voice by my ear. I jumped to the side, then turned and glared murderously at the upside-down floating figure of Puck. He was grinning at me smugly, arms crossed.  
It took an enormous amount of willpower to not punch a crater into his stupid head. “I’m going to make your afterlife a living Hell, y’know that?” I said, crossing my own arms as I waited. He began to speak, clearly still amused at my anger, but was cut off when the ghost kid flew straight out of the building and tackled him away. Tucker and Sam came running up a moment later from their hiding spots. I’m not going to lie I was pretty pleased with the look of horror and confusion on Puck’s face as he was tackled. Payback was only just beginning.  


Puck clawed at the ghost boy’s arms before he was released. He tried to speak but was interrupted with a right punch to his face. I cheered, unable to help myself from the sweet, sweet justice being dealt. It would only have been better if it had been me kicking his butt. The thermos was just coming out when Puck decided to finally put a stop to things. “Enough!” he yelled, releasing a green burst of energy that sent the ghost kid flying back and the rest of us stumbling.  
Phantom recovered quickly, but not quick enough. Puck flew straight at me, grabbed my arm then hauled me away from Sam and Tucker. “Hey! Let go of me!” I yelled, squirming and clawing at the fingers wrapped around me. When he did nothing, I yelled with pure frustration, at least giving the others an idea of where I was.  
It was enough. A green blast hit Puck in the side. He grunted, dropping me with surprise as he checked his side. I, meanwhile, plummeted towards Earth for the second time in less than a week. It was starting to become a rather unhealthy habit. With a scream, I closed my eyes and hoped I’d just end up going through the earth. However, I felt nothing except for a light breeze. When I peeked through my fingers, I saw that I was actually floating in air. “Whoa,” I said, taking my hands down from my face and glancing around. I wasn’t even upside down!  


No one seemed to notice my miraculous improvement as they were busy focusing on Puck again. Phantom was flying back at Puck again, but he disappeared right before he could land a punch. I felt pretty sure that was unfair during a fight but I wasn’t quite clear on the rules of ghost dueling. Maybe they didn’t even have rules because they were already dead.  
Before I had much of a chance to contemplate such complexities, arms wrapped around my torso and bound my arms to my sides. Puck had me and was flying us away from the others. “I swear to all that is good and righteous in this world, I’m gonna smack your damn face off!” I yelled, kicking and flailing as much as I could with my arms bound. He was surprisingly strong for a dead dude, a fact I found mildly disappointing. Whatever happened to ghosts being wisps of intangibleness? Ghost stories were just full of lies, honestly.  


“I’m not trying to hurt you, Max, geez! If I had wanted to smack you senseless, trust me, I would’ve by now!” he tried to explain, grunting with the effort of restraining me. I cursed extremely colorfully at him before I rammed my head back against his. It hurt like hell, but it got him to loosen his grip enough for me to wiggle free. He held his palm to his forehead, groaning before he snatched at me again. Furious, I whipped an arm out and suddenly I felt power rush down my arm. Cyan-colored energy pooled in my hand and then shot out at him, knocking him right out of the air, though part of it was probably shock. The blast didn’t look nearly as powerful as what Phantom had been throwing out, but it was still enough.  


“Hah! Suck it!” I yelled triumphantly, throwing my hands up in victory as he crashed into the ground below. Instantly, the ghost boy was upon him, thermos at the ready. Puck was sucked up into the tiny tin of terror in seconds. It felt pretty great to know that someone else got to experience the suffocating closeness of the thermos. Sam and Tucker joined Phantom as he landed on the ground and I started the laborious journey of figuring out how to land. I mostly just squirmed for a while before I suddenly just dropped out of the air and landed on the ground, first on my feet before falling onto my rear. Wincing, I looked up at the others who were checking to make sure the thermos was locked.  


I couldn’t hear what they were talking about until I heaved myself to my feet and limped over to them, wondering why ghosts could still feel pain. Phantom held up the thermos and smirked at me. “See? Told you we’d get him,” he practically boasted.  
I rolled my eyes, wanting to grab the thermos and punt it into the next dimension. Somehow, I held back. “Can you please just send him back to the other place, now? Things would be a lot better in the world if he wasn’t pissing everyone off,” I said. He glanced at his friends, shrugged, then grabbed Sam and Tucker and lifted them up to start for the lab.  


Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how to fly from where I was standing. Grumbling, I picked up a jog and started after them, cursing the ghost boy for flying so fast. Would it kill him again to give me a few pointers on being dead?


	11. Summary is finally explained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i dont remember the plot of this story

It was only when we neared the blimp building (which I now realized had the word “Fenton” on it) that Phantom took pity on me and landed a block away. He grabbed the three of us who had yet to master flight and phased us through the ground and back to the laboratory. Then, I got a firsthand look at how he managed to hook the thermos up to the ghost…vortex thing and I swore I heard Puck’s scream in the distance.

Relief hit me in a wave and I closed my eyes with the biggest sigh I could manage. It was so nice to finally have that nuisance of a ghost out of the mortal realm that just the realization made my arms and legs tingle. Well, maybe that was just exhaustion. 

There was a flash of red behind my eyelids and I opened them, curious about what it had been. Three pairs of eyes were staring at me—again. Phantom, Tucker, and Sam wore identical expressions of shock and disbelief as they looked at me. 

“What?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I realized that my shirt was back to its normal color. In fact, when I held my hands out in front of me, my skin looked completely normal and very not dead. “Holy—“ 

“Max…? You’re--?” Sam was the first to speak out of the three of them, glancing rapidly between Phantom and me. 

“Not dead!” I completed, throwing my hands up ecstatically. “No, wait—hold on. I was dead, I think. Maybe. And now… I am…not. Is that even possible?” I spun in a circle, looking at my clothes and making sure that I really was alive. I even pinched myself just in case. “Mmm. Quite a debacle.” 

Maybe I was just over exerted emotionally, but the fact that I was alive wasn’t really hitting home. I was taking it remarkably smoothly if I do say so myself. “Another halfa?” Sam asked, though her question was directed more towards the other two than towards me. 

“How is that even possible?” Phantom asked, again not really directing his question towards me but rather the room at large. I didn’t mind too much as I was a little bit enthralled by pinching myself and watching the blood rush into my skin, thus proving without a doubt that I was alive. I completely missed the rest of their conversation and didn’t even look up until someone tapped me on the shoulder, startling me. 

“Max, we need to know how you got these powers. Have you ever seen another ghost portal other than this one?” Phantom asked, gesturing towards the green vortex. 

“Powers? What’re you talkin’ about? This is clearly just…the weirdest hallucination ever,” I said, glancing at the portal and then back to them. “I’ve only seen this one. Is this a common occurrence? Do people…regularly come back from being ghosts?” 

It was a bit of a relief to see them shake their heads, but that quickly changed to panic and then mind numbing exhaustion that hit me like a truck. “Hey, you know…maybe I should just take a nap and let you guys figure it out,” I said, already sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. They approached me with concern, but I waved them off. “Shh, nap time. I am not mentally capable of handling anything else right now,” I whispered, closing my eyes. 

If they objected, I didn’t hear it. I was out like a light.


End file.
